FOWLER Family dog attacks toddler

The young boy has several large bites on his back but is resting comfortably. By PEGGY SINKOVICH VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF FOWLER -- A 20-month-old boy is recovering in St. Elizabeth Health Center in Youngstown from dog bites. Regina Turner said her son, Dalton, was bitten Thursday afternoon. He has several large bites on his back but is resting comfortably. "He's doing pretty good," Turner said this morning. "He's still in some pain but for the most part he's ready to play." She's hoping Dalton will be released this weekend. "I'm still not sure what happened with the dog," said Turner. "We have had Barkley for a long time, and he has never bit anybody. He loves kids. I don't know if he is losing some of his sight and didn't realize that he was biting Dalton." She said Barkley is owned by her boyfriend, William R. Vincent Jr., Dalton's father. What happened: Turner said she was hanging clothes in the back yard of their home at 5427 Bradley-Brownlee Road around 12:30 when Dalton walked near Barkley. She said the Rottweiler was chained. Turner said she heard her son scream and she and another family dog, Junior, ran to rescue the toddler. Junior is a Rottweiler mix, Turner said. Turner grabbed her son, and Junior confronted Barkley to keep him away from the boy. "As soon as I yelled, Barkley started to back away," Turner said. "I really don't think he realized what he was doing because when I started yelling he tried to come back near me to check on the baby." She grabbed her son and called 911. She made sure Barkley was chained before she left in the ambulance with her son. Barkley has his shots, Turner said. In the pound: The Trumbull County Sheriff's Department said the dog has been taken to the dog pound. Turner said she's not sure what to do about the dog. "I just want to make sure my son is all right."